Viet Cong Battle Flag
This is a genuine Viet Cong battle flag that was captured on the 27th of November 1967 at Thanh Phu Island, Kien Hoa Province, in the Republic of Vietnam. The area was a hotbed of guerilla activity throughout the Vietnam War. The flag was originally taken by the 3/3/12th and donated to the US Army Ranger Museum of New York City.
The Viet Cong fought the US and the South Vietnamese throughout the Vietnam War that lasted from 1959 through to 1975. The Viet Cong was a political organization and it came out on the winning side. Both army units and guerilla units were used by the Viet Cong along with a group of cadres who controlled many peasants who lived in the territory. Lots of soldiers were recruited from South Vietnam and during the Vietnam War in 1960; communists from Southern Vietnam created the National Liberation Front (NLF) to entice non-communists to take part in the war.
The core members of the Viet Cong were known as "regroupees" and these were mainly southern Vietminh who returned to settle in the north of the country after the 1954 Geneva Accord. Military training was provided to the "regroupees" before Hanoi sent them south down the treacherous Ho Chi Minh Trail in the early 60s. The National Liberation Front wanted southerners to "overthrow the camouflaged colonial regime of the American imperialists" and they insisted that a peaceful unification was their primary goal.
The Tet Offensive was the most famous action by the Viet Cong and this was a devastating assault that took place on around 100 urban areas in South Vietnam back in 1968. This offensive included an attack on Saigon's US embassy. The attention of the world's media was captured for many weeks by this fighting but the Viet Cong soon found that they were overextended. Future offensives were primarily conducted by North Vietnamese forces and the group was then dissolved in 1976 and a communist government finally unified North and South Vietnam.
The framed Viet Cong National Liberation Front battle flag came from the US Army Ranger Museum of New York City and is a hand sewn flag with red and blue panels, featuring a yellow star in the center. The frame is a black metal frame and it measures 13-1/2" x 19-1/2". It was sold by the Butterfield & Butterfield in San Francisco, on the 18th of November 1997 in the "Property from the Army Ranger Museum" sale. It was listed on page 115 of that catalog.
It is in fine condition and it is in the same condition as when it was donated by the US Army Ranger Museum of New York City. There is a small hole in the lower left hand corner and two other holes in the center at the bottom of the flag. Another small set of holes can be seen near to the center top area.
Sources:
National Liberation Front (Vietcong), Flags of the World, 10 September 2012, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vn-vcong.html
Vietcong, Wikipedia, 10 September 2012, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Cong
Thanh Phu Island, Wikipedia, 10 September 2012, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Thanh Phu Island
Caodaism, 10 September 2012, from:
http://www.wix.com/lamdathoa/intro/page-1
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
